"Cuando la cinta se agota / When the Tape Runs"
«Fotografías que tomé para el segundo año de estudiantes de moda en el Instituto de Diseño Lathi / Pictures I took for the second year fashion students at the Lahti Institute of Design.»

«In 2006 I witnessed the so called Smash ASEM “riot” (*). There I personally saw the dark side of the Finnish police. How young men hid behind their uniforms and hoods and anonymously committed misconduct. Later I witnessed the reluctance of the justice system to punish those in uniforms.

Uniforms create unity and through them we can separate a soldier from a civilian. But sometimes we hide in them when we do something that is really bad

We wear clothes described by religion, profession, political thoughts and tradition to communicate and represent authority, where we belong and how we see the world. Often this hides our true persona and creates walls between ourselves and between the people that we meet.

The characters in my works are the prisoners of these traditions and walls that we’ve created for ourselves. How close can we, the viewers, get to the characters that have so much of their personality taken away from?»

I feel this great loneliness in my heart so I wanted to reflect that in this piece of work"

«The inspiration of the very first picture, “Black Wedding”, was a First World War British jacket. The jacket was black and it reminded me of the SS uniforms. Nazis did what people with the power usually do, which is to cover their own emptiness with the most beautiful veil. Many let themselves to be fooled. Nowadays, Germany and Japan are some of the most peaceful countries. Although, the Japanese have never been through with the ugliness of its past as well as the Germans. Nazi’s polished look has been living on in many films as well. It’s hardly a coincidence that the Starship Troopers and Star Wars’ evil empire marched in space wearing uniforms like the one’s of Nazis’. Of course, it wasn’t always so. On the other hand, Flash Gordon’s evil caesar Ming reminded more of Ivan the Terrible. It’s made clear to the viewer who the bad guys are or that, in the future, fascism can still swallow us. I’m afraid that we are too much conditioned with the idea that the future’s oppressions would look like the bad guys from the past.»

«The black is there for practical reasons. The different tones of black are easy to match and make look alike. Lighting brings out beautifully the different textures in wool, leather etc. Because my photo series deals with power and its misuse the lack of color brings its own meaning. In my pictures the individuals often drown in the sea of conformity. I’m fascinated by the acts of the individuals under the pressure of the many.»

The inspiration came from the story of Salome in the new testament. The best modern interpretation of the dance of Salome is in the 1974 film The Night Porter staring the young Charlotte Rampling. She dance and sings In the middle of SS gards in a concentration camp.

Serie "El Imperio invisible" / The Invisible Empire Series

"La reunión / The Gathering"

«Islam and Christianity are the two great religions in our planet and they have established their status for the sake of millions of deaths. The Christians murdered millions of native Americans and Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus, destroying the polytheistic religions completely in the Middle East. Both of these groups are responsible for the slavery and murder of millions of Africans. Nowadays, both in Iraq and United States, the slaves’ descendants are considered to be second class citizens. Religion can be a beautiful thing but when being held above criticism it can make an ugly mess.

I’m an atheist but in a way I have based my life upon a Greek-Protestant way of thinking. You only have one life and in the end of it you have show the ferryman what you have accomplished during your lifetime. I’m lucky that many of my dreams have come true but there’s still much work to do.»

"The Mayor of Kuhunka / La Alcaldesa de Kuhunka"
Hecho para el calendario de Kuhunka con imágenes de Berlín y Postdam /Made it for the Kuhunka calender. Pictures are from Berlin and Potsdam.

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